Ledezma Snatched by SEBIN
Twitter just lit up with reports of a SEBIN squad forcing their way into Antonio Ledezma’s office in el Rosal. Ledezma is the metropolitan mayor of Caracas, a post invented by chavismo to sort of oversee all the municipalities that integrate the city. After losing this stewardship to the opposition they have been trying to strip it from any actual power (by eliminating the Metropolitan Police, squandering its budget, and by appointing “protectors” to usurp the mayor’s role).
Ledezma, along with Leopoldo Lopez and Maria Corina Machado, was one of the promoters of “La Salida.”
Apparently, the government’s political police broke into Ledezma’s office and apprehended him violently without showing a warrant. For now, all we have is the bits and pieces that can be gathered from twitter:
Asi dejan oficina de alcalde Ledezma y se lo llevan detenido el SEBIN sin orden, lo agredieron y llevaron pic.twitter.com/eL2FjKlk7O
— Roman Camacho (@RCamachoVzla) February 19, 2015
BREAKING: CCTV screen grabs of the moment Mayor of Caracas Antonio Ledezma was taken away by Sebin @matthewbennett pic.twitter.com/NwvxT4QxBm
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) February 19, 2015
FOTOS | Así se llevó detenido el SEBIN a Antonio Ledezma, desde la Torre Exa en Chacao http://t.co/P4uSRjZ7rE pic.twitter.com/vVbpDlqeIY
— Últimas Noticias (@UNoticias) February 19, 2015
Maria Corina was the first to get to SEBIN headquarters in Plaza Venezuela. A source close to MCM says that a SEBIN car is watching her home, however it has not been raided (as it was informed earlier). Henrique Capriles got to Plaza Venezuela as well. Other opposition leaders followed later on.
Llega Maria Corina Machado a dar su apoyo a la familia Ledezma @contrapuntovzla pic.twitter.com/PN5uIcbiQA
— Vanessa C. Moreno L. (@MoreLosadaV) February 19, 2015
Henrique Capriles da su apoyo a Mitzy de Ledezma en el Sebin Plz Vzla @contrapuntovzla pic.twitter.com/14NYvxP9Vf
— Vanessa C. Moreno L. (@MoreLosadaV) February 19, 2015
7.55 pm. Llega al Sebin de Pza. Venezuela David Smolansky. Luego Gerardo Blyde y Liliana Hernández @contrapuntovzla pic.twitter.com/wXvytrPqKN
— Leo Felipe Campos (@leofelipecampos) February 20, 2015
Some people has gathered in the street in front of SEBIN:
Asi se encuentran alrededores drl sebin plaza vzla 8:03pm #ccs pic.twitter.com/Tdk8iLlAPB
— Roman Camacho (@RCamachoVzla) February 20, 2015
Here’s some video of the SEBIN squad arriving to Ledezma’s office:
https://twitter.com/alvarezgales/status/568556870685872129
More footage surfaces:
Así es como se llevaron hoy secuestrado al Alcalde Metropolitano de Caracas /#LibebrenALedezma pic.twitter.com/RLB98iMQNB
— Rodrigo Diamanti (@RDiamanti) February 20, 2015
Right before Ledezma was taken, Leopoldo’s wife informed via twitter that the guards at Ramo Verde were trying to move him to another prison.
URGENTE: Me informan que guardias intentan secuestrar a Leopoldo para sacarlo del penal! RT Por favor
— Lilian Tintori (@liliantintori) February 19, 2015
Chavismo thrives in conflict. Right now they need it to appear strong before their supporters, and to divert everyone else’s attention from la gran peladera de bola.
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